2026 ASIAN GAMES | GILAS PILIPINAS ROSTER TRACKER (AS OF AUGUST 31, 2026)
Prior to the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, our basketball program was in disarray. Chot Reyes stepped down as head coach following our poor finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which prompted Tim Cone to put together a makeshift group of PBA players to answer the country's call.
While I still think that, despite the 1-4 record, Chot Reyes did well as Gilas coach, it felt like an F.U. to all of his critics for him to leave the team in that fashion. Yes, Cone was his chief assistant, but how could he prepare for the tournament in less than a month?
Worse, they chose players who were either unavailable or weren't part of the pool submitted by the SBP. The list was so makeshift that former Gilas stars like Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo were prohibited from joining, making the situation even more chaotic.
Despite the odds, though, Gilas Pilipinas was able to win the gold medal by beating the host team in the semifinals and blasting Jordan in the gold medal game.
Of the 12 players from that roster, only Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, and Scottie Thompson might return.
That said, 2026 will be no different.
Unlike the previous edition, however, Tim Cone has a roster in mind.
The Japan and Korea league players are out, and I don't know if the aforementioned five holdovers will be able to participate because they are an integral part of our drive to get back to the FIBA World Cup. Justin Brownlee is also injured, while JMF recently announced his retirement from international play.
From what Tim Cone said, the players who have already made the team are Ginebra's RJ Abarrientos and Converge's twin-tower duo of Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana. Abarrientos was a late scratch in Gilas' first Group F window, while Baltazar only logged around three minutes against Jordan. Arana was activated for the Iran game in response to Carl Tamayo's unfortunate injury, but didn't get the chance to play.
The Asian Games roster was composed solely of PBA players, and while there's a chance that we wouldn't have Justin Brownlee, I think this version of Gilas will also lose a fraction of the remaining members of the FIBA team.
If you look at the players we had in the games against Jordan and Iran, Scottie Thompson and CJ Perez both spent time nursing injuries. Yes, they are 100 percent ready, but Tim Cone might also need to consider that he needs all the able bodies available to play in the November window.
Injuries were one of the reasons why Kai Sotto and AJ Edu had to miss time with their respective teams. The Tamayo injury could serve as an eye-opener.
It may seem shady for the J.B.League and KBL teams to forbid our players from playing, but they are also spending almost a million pesos per month to have our international players on their rosters.
So which players are in?
If JMF is out and Justin Brownlee has begged off, I think it's time for Gilas to check if their big men are capable of handling the giants of the continent.
In the Commissioner's Cup, some players were able to negate the advantage of the seven-foot imports. I can see Zavier Lucero joining Arana and Baltazar, with Troy Rosario also getting the call. I thought Rosario was underused as a third-string big man, but in past iterations of Gilas, he had a prominent role. He has to be there to get a feel for the opposing teams, especially if we get to face Jordan, Iran, or Syria. Lucero, meanwhile, has developed into a good frontline player for Magnolia, and while he isn't as big, he would bring another dimension to the squad with his athleticism.
It's not like all eyes will be on him in FIBA, but it helps that he knows what we're dealing with, especially if they send the same players.
I would pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser over Brandon Bates, but if we'd rather go for agility, athleticism, and quickness, I think Caelan Tiongson can also play as a combo forward.
BGR has to see action because of his capability to guard imports. That said, he's also a foul magnet, and he needs to figure this out, especially if he has a good game going.
Meanwhile, Bates can be our token defender whose main job is to grab rebounds and clean up putbacks. I can't say these are easy tasks, especially if we're dealing with the East Asian squads, as well as those from the former Soviet states.
And speaking of combo forwards, I think this is the time for Calvin Oftana to regain his confidence. For years, we've noticed Calvin Oftana's inability to find his rhythm in international games. Maybe this could be Tim Cone's mission, especially with Tamayo's injury.
As for the slashers, I can see Juan GDL teaming up with RJ, but I also see Tim Cone resting him if he'll have a more pronounced role in the second window.
I also think the same can be said for Perez and Thompson.
This brings me to Adrian Nocum, Sedrick Barefield, Don Trollano, and Robert Bolick.
Bolick has to be a shoo-in, especially if they're trying to preserve Juan GDL. He knows how to win; he isn't easily deterred in the clutch, and he can create shots for himself and his teammates.
Barefield would come in handy, especially if we're going to play All-Filipino. Yes, his field-goal percentage can improve, but he's also playing like an import for Blackwater. In fact, he is the only player in this pool with NBA G League experience.
Adrian Nocum isn't as experienced as Barefield and Bolick, but he's also a fighter. Meanwhile, I can also see Don Trollano getting action in Japan, especially since he's basically a role player who has overachieved. Trollano can contribute on defense as well as offense, and that's crucial, especially when the team is in need of direction. As for Jerrick Ahanmisi, if Tim Cone wants him, then he'll make the cut. The problem with him, though, is that Gilas is overloaded with scoring point guards. He is a dead shot from the outside, though, and his slashing ability could be useful if there's a need to add more offense to the squad.
Anyway, I can't really predict at this point who will make the team, but in terms of manpower, I believe the Gilas Pilipinas Asian Games squad can perform better than what is expected.
WHO ARE IN
GOLD | PART OF THE FIBA GROUP F SQUAD
2026 GOVS CUP STATS | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
RJ ABARRIENTOS | 6 | 14.83 | 2.33 | 4.50 | 1.33 | 0.00 |
JUSTIN ARANA | 9 | 21.78 | 8.33 | 2.56 | 0.33 | 0.33 |
JUSTINE BALTAZAR | 9 | 14.11 | 8.33 | 2.22 | 1.11 | 0.78 |
WHO BEGGED OFF
2026 GOVS CUP STATS | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
JORDAN HEADING | 6 | 16.67 | 2.67 | 3.50 | 1.00 | 0.17 |
JASON PERKINS | 7 | 12.71 | 4.71 | 1.29 | 0.14 | 0.14 |
CAELAN TIONGSON | 6 | 10.50 | 4.33 | 1.50 | 1.00 | 0.33 |
POSSIBLE PICKS
GOLD | PART OF THE FIBA GROUP F SQUAD
GRAY | NATURALIZED PLAYER
2026 GOVS CUP STATS | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
JUSTIN BROWNLEE 2023 | ASIAN GAMES GOLD 2023 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
JUNE MAR FAJARDO 2023 | ASIAN GAMES GOLD 2021 | SEA GAMES SILVER 2019 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 8 | 8.38 | 9.75 | 3.50 | 0.63 | 2.13 |
JUAN GOMEZ DE LIANO | 9 | 12.11 | 5.89 | 6.67 | 0.56 | 0.11 |
CHRIS NEWSOME 2023 | ASIAN GAMES GOLD 2023 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 8 | 12.38 | 3.13 | 2.88 | 1.75 | 0.25 |
CJAY PEREZ 2023 | ASIAN GAMES GOLD 2023 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 5 | 16.20 | 2.60 | 2.40 | 1.60 | 0.60 |
TROY ROSARIO 2021 | SEA GAMES SILVER 2019 | SEA GAMES GOLD 2017 | SEA GAMES GOLD 2015 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 6 | 8.33 | 5.67 | 1.67 | 1.00 | 0.33 |
SCOTTIE THOMPSON 2023 | ASIAN GAMES GOLD 2015 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 1 | 4.00 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
JERRICK AHANMISI | 9 | 10.22 | 2.78 | 3.33 | 1.11 | 0.00 |
SEDRICK BAREFIELD | 6 | 19.17 | 2.83 | 2.83 | 1.50 | 0.17 |
BRANDON BATES | 8 | 5.25 | 8.13 | 0.38 | 0.50 | 1.00 |
ROBERT BOLICK 2025 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 9 | 17.67 | 5.78 | 7.56 | 0.56 | 0.56 |
BRANDON GANUELAS-ROSSER 2023 | SEA GAMES GOLD | 4 | 11.75 | 3.50 | 1.25 | 0.25 | 1.00 |
ZAVIER LUCERO | 7 | 15.14 | 7.43 | 1.29 | 1.14 | 1.29 |
ADRIAN NOCUM | 6 | 17.67 | 4.00 | 7.17 | 1.33 | 0.67 |
CALVIN OFTANA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DON TROLLANO | 9 | 17.11 | 4.11 | 1.78 | 0.56 | 0.22 |
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